Mixing and proportioning granular or plastic materials for alabastine



v M. B'. CHURCH. MIXING AND PROPORTIONING GRANULAR 0R PLASTIG MATERIALS 1 6 d 0 M 0 N FOR ALAB'ASTINE, 6w.

Patented Sept. 2, 1884.

t MELVIN B. CHURCH, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

MIXING AND PROPOBTIONING GRANULAR OR PLASTIC MATERIALS FOR ALABASTINE, dc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 304,615, dated September 2, 1884:. Application filed March 22, 1884. (No model.)

2"0 {ZZZ whom, it nut-7 concern: by me in connection with agrindingmill for Be it known that I, MELVIN B. CHURCH, of alabastine. Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and In the manufacture of alabastine I use for State of Michigan, have invented a new and I feeding the materials of which the mixture is useful Improvement in Mixing and Proporto be composed the conveyingapparatus shown tioning Granular and Plastic Materials for Alain Letters Patent of the United States granted bastine, &c.,- and I do hereby declare that the to me on the 13th day of June, 1882. When following is afull, clear, and exact description I am mixing colors or pigments, or any mate of the same. rials improved by regr'inding together, or these My invention relates to an improved mode colors and gypsum, I mix the g psum and col of mixing granular or pulverized materials, I oring material in the grinding apparatus, utiland to an apparatus for that purpose. Ihave izing this apparatus as a mixer, and also to applied the mode and apparatus to the mixing I grind the colors and other materials together. of the materials used by me in the manufac- To do this I convey the'gypsum to the stones ture of the article known as alabastine, by means of the conveyer shown in my said which article is used as a plastic or semi-plaspatent, the screw of the said conveyer being tic coating for the walls of houses. It is, howgeared to the driving mechanism of the mill, ever, applicable to the mixing of other granu- I so as to run and var therewith. I use an- ].ar or pulverized material. other conveyer proportioned in size or speed In the manufacture of alabastine as hereto- I to the first conveyer, according to the propor fore practiced the materials of which it has tions acquired of theingredients. This second been composed have been separately ground conveyer is geared to the driving mechanism and afterward measured in proper proporof the mill or to the first conveyer, and runs tions, and then mixed by stirring theingreditherewith, and is used to convey the pulverents together. This requires care in measurized or comminuted coloring material, which ing, in weighing, and stirring or shaking, and is discharged, together ith the gypsum, into heexp'enditure of considerablelabor orpower the eye of the stone, and is then reground, tounder all circumstances, and it, especially .regether with the gypsum, and is thoroughly quires care in weighing, and the expenditure I mixed in the grinding. In this, as aforesaid, of power is continued in stirring or shaking the mill acts as a mixer. The method of addwhen small quantities of one or moreingrcdi- I ing the size or other material which I do not cuts are to be mixed with a large proportion wish to regrind in the mixing process illusof another. Under such circumstances the trates the use of theinvention with other forms difficulty lies in the perfect and uniform of mixer. This size (or glue) cannot be ground mixture of the lesser ingredient through the I with the gypsum in the millstones, but must greater. be ground separately. Itherefore add it (pre My invention consists, essentially, in conviously finely ground) to the mixed gypsum veying by positive feeding devices connected and coloring material, after these have been to each other or to a common driving-power through the mill.- This may be done in two the various ingredients into a common ehanways. I may use a proportioning-conveyer nel, stream, or receptacle, by which they are similar to that used for the gypsum and colthoroughly mixed, and in exact and uniform oringmaterial to convey these from the mill, proportions. [and convey the pulverized size by a similar I have hereinafter described the invention, eonveyer from a separate receptacle and disboth as respects the mode of proceeding and charge it into the conveyor of the mixture the apparatus therefor, in connection with the made in the mill. In this case the conveyor, manufacture of alabastine, and this will serve carrying all the ingredients, acts as asecond as a sutficient explanation for the use of the mixer, thoroughly distributing the size with invention in the treatment of any other mate the other ingredients. This conveyor, which rials. carries the size, is also geared to the driving The accompanying drawing shows in side mechanism of the mill, or to one of the other elevation'and in section the apparatus used conveyers, so that it runs and varies with all,

or, rather, so that all run and vary uniformly and equally; and if the mill be retarded or quickened, all the conveyers are in like degree retarded or quickened. Thus the proportions once established are accurately maintained.

Instead of using a conveyer from the stones, the mixture therefrom may be discharged,itogether with that of the size, into anyether form of mixer, the proportions being accurately maintained and distributed by the conveyers described; but the ordinary screw-convcyer forms a mixer adapted to dry or wet material, and in the form described above,the proportioned mixture from the first two conveyers (united in the mill) is mixed in the conveyer, from the stones with the material delivered from the size-conveyer. It is the same in princi le as if the stones were omitted, so far as the proportioning and mixing are concerned. The stones are interposed simply because some of the ingredients require grinding, and, as explained in my said patent, the stones require a regulated feed for the goods. The method,therefore,may be used without the grinding, by running two or more conveyers from their respective garners or hoppers to a common conveyer or other mixer, the conveyers from the garners being geared together, so as to run and vary equally and uniformly. In this way the proportions are automatically regulated and the materials thoroughly mixed.

In the drawing, the stones are represented at A. The conveyer for the gypsum is shown at B, and runs from a receptacle or garner, G, in which is a partly-covered and partly-uncovered conveyer, as shown in my said'pat cut.

1) represents a spout leading to the stones; and E 0 F are pulleys and belt connecting the gypsum-conveyer to the shaft II, which drives the stone, so that the conveyer runs with the stone.

G is the hopper.

A second conveyer, H, with like accessories, and geared to the shaft of eonveyer B, supplies the coloring-matter, and runs with the conveyer B, so that the proportions of gypsum and coloring-matter, once exhibited, are always maintained, and the aggregate is always proportioned to the grinding capacity of the stones, however this may vary in speed.

The goods are discharged from the stones 1 to the mixing-conveyor with the proper proportion of size, which is brought by the conveyer M from a hopper, N. The conveyer M is connected to the shaft of the convcyer L, so that it runs and varies with veyers.

omitted, and in this case the mixing-conveyer H, and there mixed that and the other conveyers, and maintains the proportion of the size with the other in gredients throughout all the variation in the the speed of the conspeed of the stones or Manifestly the two conveyers may be L would not be used, as the stones act as mixers for the ingredient, and are passed through them. It will be understood that the ingredients are moved by the conveyers in quanti ties or proportions, which, when once deter mined, are constantly maintained, so that the mixing commences when the united streams fall into the eye of the stones.

In regulating the proportions I may use conveyers of different size run at, the same rate of speed, or of the same size run at different rates of speed.

It will be obvious that any other materials of granulated or pulverized form may be mixed in the same way by the same apparatus.

These conveyers are also capable of moving in regular determined quantities of plastic materials, paints, fertilizers, and the like, or

they may be adapted to mix a proportion of bakingpowder for self-raising flour,as the conveyer may be adapted to introduce the smallest proportion of one material with thelargest of another.

It is obvious that, as the mechanisms are all connected, the stopping of one arrests all the others, and does not destroy the proportions.

I claim as my invention 1. The hereinbei'ore-described mode of mixing granular or plastic materials in definite and uniform proportions, consisting in feeding by a positive conveyer the materials in regulated quantities to a grinding-mill or mixer, and in grinding or mixing the propertion ed quantities as they unite, all substantially as described.

' 2. The described apparatus for mixing and proportioniug granular or plastic materials in definite and uniform proportions, consisting of a grinding-mill or mixer, suitable garners an conveyers for positively feeding the materials, bands or gearing connecting the conveyers, and suitable spouts leading from the conveyers to the mill or mixer, substantially as described. V

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MELVIN l3. CHURCH.

Witnesses:

Gno. Easrirxx, O. F. PownLL. 

